By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
Last Sunday, we discussed general tips on keeping healthy this Christmas. Up to January 2 next year, we will be writing about having a healthy Christmas season. This is my Christmas gift to you, dear readers- a Christmas package of health advices. Because a healthy Christmas is a happy Christmas.
This Sunday, we will talk about what to stock at home aside from your favorite party food. Natural medicines. Of course, it is best to have these all the time, as they are also food. Although these are common, not all of us grow them so make sure the following items are in your kitchen every time, especially this Christmas:
1. Turmeric or yellow ginger or kunig. This is so popular nowadays. Turmeric is a favorite condiment in the traditional cuisines of our Asian neighbors. It is an ingredient of curry. It’s also good for almost anything such as overeating, indigestion, rheumatism, pain relief, cough, wounds, burns and even cancer. Its healing power comes from the chemical curcumin that it contains. Curcumin is a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory substance. I am sure you have experienced some of its healing powers. To some of my friends, turmeric lowered their cholesterol level. In Igorot experience, fresh turmeric poultice is good for wound healing.
You can use turmeric fresh by boiling it as tea or adding to your rice or viand. Or use it dried and pulverized, as tea or condiment or food supplement. It’s best, however, to use it plain and not sweetened. It is available in capsule form so easy to pop it in. Take it with meals, as much as possible. If you want to process your own turmeric powder, just peel the fresh turmeric, slice thinly then dry and grind into powder then bottle it or capsulize it. What I love about turmeric is that it grows so easily and abundantly and anybody can grow it. It is a no- maintenance plant.
2. Ginger or laya- the kitchen ginger. This is a mainstay in traditional Igorot cuisine. It is our popular natural flavoring. It is one of our common traditional medicines so have a rich history of its healing powers. Here are some- for indigestion, sore throat, cough, colic, stomach ache, flatulence, headache, muscle and joint pains. For cough and sore throat, boil fresh ginger and drink it warm. It’s a favorite of my daughter. Just like turmeric, it is best to take in ginger without sugar, whether fresh or powderized. Ginger powder is available in stores but this is sweetened. For nausea and vomiting, you can chew a piece of fresh or dried ginger. For headache, muscle or joint pains, heat a slice of ginger and apply directly to the painful part. I used it overnight for a sprain and it healed like magic – the hematoma (nab-lo) was gone the next day! Ginger can be processed into ointment or a balm and so it is very handy and easy to stock.
3. Sayote. Sayote is also a traditional medicine of the Igorot- for cough and colds and sore throat. The younger, the better. In the book Amazing Healing Plants, it says “consumption of the cooked fruit is recommended in case of hypertension.” So sayote doesn’t cause high blood pala. Joking aside, I have friends who drank fresh sayote juice to lower their cholesterol level and it was effective. This book also says the “raw pulp of the fruit soothes skin rashes” and “a poultice of the roasted leaves may be applied over boils to assist in the easy discharge of pus”.
4. Rice. Unpolished rice relieves constipation because its fiber is still intact so bowel movement is normalized. It also prevents beri-beri because the B vitamins are still intact. And because rice is whole grain, it centers us, making our thoughts and emotions stable. The “am” or “te-eb” (“teleb”) has a soothing and sedative effect. Rice coffee (from roasted uncooked rice) is good for diarrhea, gastritis, ulcer and stomach pain or colic. So always have these in your kitchen as diarrhea that strikes in the middle of the night could disturb the whole household if there’s no home remedy.
There you are. These 4 natural medicines would treat the most common ailments at home or away from home. Dosage is flexible, they can be taken as necessary or because they are also food, these should be part of your family menu. What’s good about these is that they, except for sayote, can be carried around in your bag. Accessible, available and quality medicine this Christmas and all year round. ***
“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10
